Imagine.

No. Not the John Lennon song.

Imagine the ability to combine the impact and persuasion of television advertising with the targeting ability of direct mail.

The notion of addressable media has been promised for decades as the penetration of digital set-top boxes became more prevalent. Well?

Sure, there have been some tests done over the years - tests within DMAs or zip codes or cable zones - but never with the precision of household level targeting.

Imagine how pithy the television creative could be if you had the ability to reach exactly the prospect you wanted to communicate with. Even better, what if you could know you were delivering a message to one of your customers by matching to your customer database?

Imagine creative and media agencies working with clients to develop campaigns and media buys that could be used across the portfolio. For example, a packaged goods manufacturer could deliver one brand's message to one household and a different brand's message to their neighbor.

Imagine how effective and efficient DRTV could be if you could target just as precisely as a direct mail piece or an email.

And imagine how the creative team would salivate to work with a target audience and target insights that are that specific versus developing concepts for a broad-stroke demographic target, such as Adults 18-49 or viewers of select cable networks.

While the finely targeted cable TV opportunity has failed to materialize, the digital space has made huge strides with the ability to personalize advertising, content and experience unique to each user.

Sure, there are plenty of reasons for it, but is there any wonder why consumers are spending more and more time online compared to consuming traditional mass media? Of course, the ability to engage with the content and a tailored experience is at the forefront of this ongoing shift.

So while the technology for addressing television advertising exists, the opportunity has already been seized in the digital space. Consumers continue spending more time online than with the television. Hulu, Netflix, Roku, AppleTV and Amazon On Demand all offer alternatives for customizing your entertainment. User experiences continue to deliver more video and more personalization based on profiles and behavioral data.

Where television was once poised to deliver a new era of relevance to audiences and efficiency to advertisers, it now lags behind digital in both areas.

And, as television advertising continues to cost more and deliver fewer eyeballs, now is the time to find a way to make addressable media the new reality.